I have and love a Vox Valvetronix 30. It's one of the "hybrid" amps - a tube pre-amp section, digital effects and amp models, and a solid state power amp. The sounds are wonderful, and (to my ears, YMMV), a far cry beyond the pure digital amps or modelers. It has the dynamics and pick attack sensitivity Joe mentions above and puts a huge array of sounds at my disposal. Just my 2 cents.
2 2006-07-19 03:17:38
Re: New to electric ^^ (3 replies, posted in Electric)
As to which knob does what on the guitar - you'll have to give us a little more information There are lots of configurations.
What kind of guitar is it?
Your amp is a well known and supported model, so I'm sure the controls are listed somewhere on the web. It's supposed to be a pretty decent practice amp.
I hope you enjoy your new electric instrument!
3 2006-06-14 02:28:23
Re: New guitar!? (8 replies, posted in Electric)
Enjoy your new addition! I knew I wanted an electric after just a few months of playing accoustic. Never looked back. I'm a fan of dual humbucker guitars - I can get a lot of sounds out of mine!
The SG is a beautiful instrument and I hope you have a great time with it.
And you know what? It's great to be able to show off your new guitar, especially to an appreciative audience like the Chordie forums. So why not hop over to the "Your best guitar" thread and post there, too? You can take a look at mine while you're there!
4 2006-06-12 14:54:38
Re: Beginner Songs (4 replies, posted in Electric)
There's a songbook out there called the playguitar songbook, which I think may have been put together by the PlayGuitar magazine folks. Anyhow, it's full of fun, relatively easy songs.
And as far as "Back in Black" goes - check out the <a href="http://actiontab.com/view_actiontab.html?id=144" target="_blank">ActionTab</a> of it. ActionTab is my second favorite guitar site, after Chordie!
I recommend you find songs you want to play and / or sing - then ferret out the easiest of those!
Have fun!
5 2006-06-12 14:43:10
Re: Your best guitar? (62 replies, posted in Electric)
What a beauty. Is that an ebony fretboard? Love the black on black.
6 2006-05-18 21:12:47
Re: My guitar lens (3 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Well, thanks for the input and the page views, guys!
I understand spaminator's point about accoustics, but I say that if you are comfortable on an electric, you can adjust to the higher string tension of an accoustic. When I moved from accoustic to electric, it took me a while to stop squeezing so hard and learn to just touch the strings. I haven't played a lot of accoustic since I switched, but it wasn't exactly rocket science to go back.
I think that it is more valuable from a beginner's standpoint to both enjoy the instrument and to succeed at playing it than it is to guarantee a clear path to accoustic playing. And I think the ease of electrics along with their other advantages (silent playing, range of sounds) makes them the clear choice for beginners.
So, I understand the accoustic side of the debate, but I'm standing by my original recommendation.
I'm pretty happy with the lens as it is, so until I'm ready to make some recommendations about recording, I'll leave it alone. I'll be watching this thread, though, so if you have suggestions, please post them!
7 2006-05-10 14:28:22
Re: reading notes need help (1 replies, posted in Electric)
Short answer: Yes, someone can.
Long answer: Yes, but you're going to have to be specific about what you want to learn.
There are at least 3 different notations commonly used for guitar:
1) Standard Notation. This is what's referred to as "music" when someone asks you, "Can you read music?" It contains information about note pitch, note duration, tempo, key, and dynamics (volume, stacatto, slur, etc..). It's not as hard as it looks, really. It will never hurt you to learn how to read music.
2) Tablature. Guitar tablature (tab) is the most commonly used format on the internet to exchange guitar music. It looks a little like music (glyphs on lines), but it contains information about <i>which frets to play on which strings</i>. Tab (ususally) doesn't give you information about note duration, it assumes you know the song you're trying to play.
3) Chord Sheets. Chord sheets, or "cheat sheets", such as are found here on chordie.com, give lyrics and chord changes. It's assumed you know or can figure out the chord fingerings (chordie gives you diagrams to help - but that's not always how the song is actually played). Chord sheets are great because they can get you playing and singing recognizable songs long before you're ready to play leads.
There are a number of beginning guitar sites out there. I direct you to my <a href="http://squidoo.com/beginningguitar" target="_blank">beginning guitar page</a>. Oh. And I don't know "American Idiot" but I know it's on ActionTab. I might wait on "Johnny B. Goode" if I were you. It's not exactly a beginner's song.
8 2006-05-02 18:52:56
Re: quality jump between gibson and epiphone (10 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
You know what? I went looking for an SG and ended up with an Ibanez SZ. It's got an awesome HH setup with coil tapping - so I can get a lot of SG / LP sounds out of it, plus some great Strat-ish tones. What I can't get is Telecaster twang, but my brother's Squire Tele doesn't get that right either.
I don't want to sound be Johnny One-Note, but I have to keep spreading the Ibanez word. I looked at a lot of guitars, both before and after making my buy, and the Ibanezes are always among the best quality in a given price range.
How did I (a novice) judge the quality? Simple. First, I looked at the guitar. The binding was perfect. The finish was flawless. Then I felt the guitar - the frets were smooth all along the fretboard, no sharp edges. Pick up a Squier Affinity Strat and run your hand down the fretboard for a counter-example. The switches and pots were smooth and sturdy. There was no obtrusive lump at the heel of the neck. Then, I played it. It sounded great, it felt great, and it fit me - that's all I needed to know.
As far as amps go, I LOVE my Valvetronix 30 Watt. I thought I wanted a G-DEC or a 30 Watt Spider II. I didn't really understand the whole tube mystique and thought it was mostly crusty old timers refusing to give up what they grew up with. One side-by-side between Spider and Vox cleared that up for me in a hurry.
I got one great piece of advice from my all-knowing little brother while I was shopping for a guitar, and I'm passing it on to you: You'll know the right guitar when you pick it up. There is no substitute for going out and touching guitars.
I hope whatever you pick brings you as much joy as my rig has brought to me.
9 2006-05-01 22:16:35
Topic: My guitar lens (3 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Hey, Chordies!
I've created a <a href="http://squidoo.com/beginningguitar" target="_blank">page on beginning guitar</a> - what <a href="http://www.squidoo.com" target="_blank">Squidoo </a>calls a <i>lens</i>.
But there's no way I can see for me to gather feedback on the page. So if anyone here is interested, would you <a href="http://squidoo.com/beginningguitar" target="_blank">drop by and take a look?</a>
I'd appreciate any comments you have. Specifically, I'd like to know what other questions or topics I should address.
Thanks very much, everyone!
10 2006-05-01 21:35:52
Re: novice (2 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
There are a number of items that would help you. I would look at:
The <a href="http://www.tapcoworld.com/products/linkusb/index.html" target="_blank">Tapco link.USB</a>
The <a href="http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Recording/Computer/Hardware?sku=245505" target="_blank">Lexicon Omega</a>
And the <a href="http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Recording/Gear?sku=249701" target="_blank">Line 6 Toneport</a> to begin with.
11 2006-05-01 20:40:41
Re: What guitar would you recommend? (10 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Are you looking for accoustic or electric? What style of music do you like to play? What guitar(s) do you have currently, and what's wrong with it? Or are you just looking for a new guitar because it's so much fun to get a new guitar?
I'm going to recommend two things that I always recommend:
First - buy an Ibanez SZ520QM. It's a double humbucker with coil tapping and it produces fantastic tones. It's extraordinarily playable and sustains forever. The mine came perfectly setup - right out of the box. The fit and finish are second to none. It's freaking beautiful. Nobody I have shown it to has been anything but blown away by it, and the more they know about guitars, the more impressed they've been.
Second - go play some guitars. That'll tell you more than all the opinions on the internet put together.
12 2006-05-01 12:39:52
Re: Your best guitar? (62 replies, posted in Electric)
Wow. Those both sound awesome. How old is your Strat?
13 2006-04-20 19:31:53
Re: Your best guitar? (62 replies, posted in Electric)
My best guitar is my one true love (among guitars) - an Ibanez SZ520QM in Blueberry. It's gorgeous, plays like a dream, and gets a versatile range of sounds out of its dual-humbucker + coil tapping setup. It'll sustain forever and stays in tune. I've played Fender, PRS, and Gibson models that cost four times what this axe did and can't touch it on fit, finish, or feel.
<img src="index.php?t=getfile&id=11&private=0" border=0 alt="index.php?t=getfile&id=11&private=0">